Shashi Samprathi helps keep community cricket dreams alive from his three-by-three-metre workshop in Kaleen. Photos: Supplied.
You might not find him in the top order of Manuka’s magical memories, nor see his name on the First XI scorecard at Canberra’s cricketing home.
Shashi Samprathi’s mark on the oval has slipped somewhere between the scorer’s pencilled dot balls and red ink, only occasionally raised in slips chatter on the edge of the square. His piece of history fits cricket to a tee, verified fact shrouded in the game’s great unknown.
Don’t rush to Wisden records and search “S. Samprathi”. It’ll come up blank. He never strode to the crease with Gavaskar, took the new Test ball or kept wicket for India. Shashi’s more known around these parts as a recently retired Australian Public Service stalwart and cherished charity mover and shaker from Kaleen.
He also makes some of the best bats in the business. Just ask Iftikhar Ahmed.
The hard-hitting Pakistan player met Shashi at the team’s Barton hotel in the lead-up to a T20 international against Australia in November 2019.
Iftikhar initially wanted his bat fixed but couldn’t get to his kit, which had already been sent to Manuka. So Shashi invited the middle-order batsman to view a selection of bats in his car — and he liked what he saw.
“He picked up one of the bats,” Shashi recalls.
“It had a beautiful profile, lovely-looking cleft, and really good balance — I was quite proud of how that bat had turned out.
“Iftikhar loved it, but said, ‘Look, can you reduce the weight a little bit for when I face [Mitchell] Starc tomorrow? I can’t swing the bat with this weight.”’
“Happy to,” answered Shashi, who took the bat back to his three-by-three-metre home workshop and shaved off some timber late that night before sanding it and knocking it in the next morning.
“I didn’t put my stickers on in case he was sponsored, took the bat to the hotel and gave it to him as a gift, as a guest of our country.”
And this is where the proven and unproven collide.
Proof: Iftikhar Ahmed shows the bat made for him by Shashi Samprathi in his Kaleen workshop.
Undisputed facts:
- Shashi crafted and gifted Iftikhar Ahmed a bat made in the small Kaleen workshop.
- The match on 5 November, 2019, marked the first T20 International at Manuka Oval.
- Iftikhar top-scored for Pakistan that day with 62 not out from 34 balls — his first international 50.
- Mitchell Starc didn’t take a wicket, but Australia won the match with nine balls to spare thanks to 80 not out from Steve Smith.
What can’t be confirmed is whether the Pakistani took “that bat” out to the middle.
“I wasn’t planning to go to the match, but decided to buy a ticket,” Shashi says.
“I sat in the Bradman Stand watching Iftikhar playing with a label-less bat. It carried the same black grip I used, but I could never figure out whether it was mine.”
So another piece of cricketing folklore was born, to sit with the game’s third umpire forever under review.
What can’t be disputed is Shashi’s love of cricket — from playing on the streets of Bangalore with a heavy piece of timber shaped as a bat and using an electricity pole as the wicket to answering a nationwide call from former Test player Ian Callen in 2015.
“Ian was growing English willow in Healesville and other parts of Victoria to resurrect the bat-making industry in Australia,” Shashi says. “He planned to train 100 batmakers across the country.
“As soon as I heard, I contacted Ian and was one of the first ones to do his course.”
Back at home, Shashi worked with a carpenter to build his boutique workshop and kitted it out with a working table, quality Canadian spokeshaves, drawknives, a bandsaw and handle replacement jig Ian made for him.
“It’s a hobby,” Shashi says. “I’ve never promoted myself as a businessman or high-end batmaker. I’ve kept it humble and I want to continue that way to cater for my Canberra community.”
Shashi is playing a growing role in volunteer groups and charities, including at an event at his beloved Manuka Oval to support World Cancer Day.
Shashi’s made about 80 bats, mainly from Australian-grown English willow, for his Bat Mate business, repaired innumerable blades and helped countless club cricketers make the right choice.
He’s also turned his hand to sponsoring community cricket and supporting charities, including World Cancer Day on 4 February when he donated three bats and made a trophy bat for this year’s match at Manuka. Stay tuned for even bigger plans in 2027.
Quick on his feet, Shashi agreed to answer a quick-fire over of questions.
Secret of a good bat? Find the right profile to suit your style. Don’t look at the grains, don’t look at the weight. Just pick up the bat and see how it feels. If it feels like an extension of your body, that’s the one for you.
How should I knock it in? Patiently. It’s critical the bat edges are rolled in and properly knocked, including the toe and edges. Play it in the nets with an older, softer ball to properly season it.
Best part of making a bat? Repairing them. They’re a prized possession, so returning a bat to its original glory and maintaining its integrity.
Who would you most like to make a bat for? A local community cricketer who appreciates its value.
Best ground? Manuka, of course! I’ve been to ovals in England and Australia, but enjoy Manuka most because it’s up close and personal. The stadium is smaller. The oval is big. So you are in amongst the players. It’s the best.
Favourite player you’ve seen flashing a blade? Adam Gilchrist. I love Gilly as a person, as a cricketer. What an ambassador. Clever, too! He used to put a squash ball inside his glove to give him better grip on the handle. I’m putting a bulge on top of some of my bat handles to mimic what Gilly was doing.
Shashi Samprathi proudly shows the first bat he ever made – signed by his favourite player, Adam Gilchrist.
Not only does his favourite bat carry Adam Gilchrist’s signature, it’s personalised: “To Shashi.”
Shashi Samprathi presents Frances Adamson, secretary of DFAT from 2016 to 2021, with a bat adorned in Indigenous art.
The Pakistan scorecard from that infamous match at Manuka Oval in 2019.
Shashi’s sharp focus on crafting cricket bats is matched by his volunteering work with Weston Creek Rotary, Men’s Table, Men’s Shed, and Karma Kitchen.
He will address Batemans Bay Rotary Club on Thursday, 6 August. Contact the club for details.
